Don’t pay TRPs more than Rs 250 for filing I-T returns

If you are looking for a certified tax return preparer (TRP) to file your income tax returns (ITR), all you have to pay is Rs 250 — that is the official fee.

The income tax (I-T) department has made it clear that a TRP cannot charge more than R 250 for filing an ITR from a taxpayer.

The government had introduced the TRP scheme for small and medium taxpayers in 2007, under which an unemployed or partially employed youth gets registered with the I-T department and is trained to file returns.

“A TRP can’t charge more than Rs 250 to file a single ITR and if we get any written complaint of over-charging, the TRP will be debarred and registration will be cancelled,” Amitabh Kumar, director I-T, told HT.

“The department also pays incentive to TRPs,” said Kumar. However, some of the TRPs in Delhi and in other parts of India have been charging up to Rs 500 for this job.

“I got my returns filed by a TRP for the first time in 2010 and he charged Rs 400, and I wasn’t aware of the right fee,” said RP Salunkhe, a retired govt employee from Nagpur.

Taxpayers feel that there is no monitoring on the functioning of the TRPs, hence they are free to charge more.

“I know a few TRPs who charge Rs 300-400 per ITR, probably because they don't have any other source of income and there’s no monitoring of the TRP operation as well,” Abhishek, a Delhi-based tax consultant said.